The Principal Exchange Podcast
Episodes
Real Talk: Why You Can't Get into Classrooms with Mary Baker
20 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Most principals didn’t step into leadership to spend their days buried in emails, meetings, discipline, and constant interruptions. They stepped...
Episode 39: Engagement Isn't Entertainment — Why Real Student Engagement Matters
17 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Student engagement is one of the biggest conversations happening in schools right now — and honestly, we understand why. Between behavior challe...
Real Talk: Reclaiming a Student-Centered School with Eric Griffin
13 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Every student. Not most students. Not the ones who are easiest to serve. Every single one. In this episode, Sarah and Andra sit down with Eric Griffin...
Episode 37: The Communication Tool That Actually Gets Parents to Show Up
10 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You've built a community. 25,000 downloads, hundreds of principals connecting weekly, a movement that grew because it felt real — that's TPE Nat...
Real Talk: Humor, Heart, and Why Schools Need More Laughter with Sara Ajisafe
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Schools are serious places filled with serious work. But they’re also full of hilarious moments, unforgettable stories, and the kind of joy that...
Episode 36: 5 Strategic Themes for Next Year That Spark Change
03 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes time to choose a school theme, many leaders focus on decorations, shirts, and a catchy slogan. But the best themes do much more than loo...
Real Talk: Building Strong Leaders and Schools with Dinah McMichael
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership can feel heavy. The decisions, the pressure, the constant pull between your school and your life outside of it—it adds up quickly. In...
Episode 35: Interviewing - How to Build Your Dream Team (Not Just Fill a Slot)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When hiring season arrives, many schools focus on filling vacancies as quickly as possible. Resumes, years of experience, and certifications often bec...
Real Talk: Tracking Behavior Data with Danielle Baranishyn
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Behavior can feel constant. You’re handling what’s right in front of you all day… but rarely get the chance to step back and actual...
Episode 34: Conquer the Feedback Backlog - 5 Moves to Get Unstuck
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Observations are done… but the feedback isn’t. Notes are sitting. Tabs are open. Conversations keep getting pushed. In this episode, we t...
Episode 33: The Video Game Effect: Why Students Persist in Play but Quit in Class
12 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Students will try the same level in a video game again and again without giving up — yet in school, frustration can sometimes lead to disengagem...
Principal Pause: Spring Break
05 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s spring break, and we’re doing what we always tell principals to do—rest when your school rests. But before we step back this we...
Build With Me: The Summer That Actually Prepares Your School Year
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Summer starts with good intentions… and then it gets filled with everything else. In this bonus episode, Sarah and Andra share what it looks li...
Episode 32: March Madness - Why Upsets Happen in Schools Too
29 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
March Madness is famous for unexpected upsets — when an underdog team defeats a powerhouse program that everyone expected to win. But those wins...
Episode 31: The Hidden Power of Spring Energy in Schools
22 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When spring arrives, something shifts in schools. Students feel more energetic, more social, and sometimes more restless — and many schools see ...
Episode 30: The Luck Myth - Why Great Schools Don’t Rely on Luck
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
St. Patrick’s Day is all about luck — lucky charms, lucky clovers, and lucky streaks. But when people talk about great schools, they often...
Episode 29: Lose an Hour, Gain Five: Where Principals Can Actually Get Time Back
08 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Daylight Savings reminds us how much people hate losing an hour of sleep. But principals lose hours every week in places they often don’t notice...
Bonus Episode: What Would You Do With 100 Hours Back This Year
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Most principals spend a surprising amount of time building things from scratch. Parent responses. Behavior plans. Observation feedback. Staff conversa...
Episode 28: When Adults Act Like Middle Schoolers (and How to Lead Anyway)
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Adults don’t outgrow middle school behavior — they just get better at disguising it. And if principals treat adult dynamics as purely rati...
Episode 27: Leadership Lessons Hiding in your Favorite TV Shows
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Popular TV shows are compelling not because of their plots, but because of how accurately they capture human behavior. And leadership is really just t...
Episode 26: Gold Medal Mindsets
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Winter Olympics aren’t just about sports — they’re about grit, joy, resilience, identity, and shared experience, and schools nee...
Episode 25: What Schools Can Learn from the Super Bowl
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Super Bowl isn’t just a football game — it’s a cultural event built on shared rituals, community, identity, and spectacle, and t...
Episode 24: 5 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Beating the winter blues in schools isn’t about grand gestures or big initiatives — it’s about the small things that bring energy, n...
Episode 23: If Students Ran the School: 5 Things They'd Fix First
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Students experience school differently than adults do — not through initiatives or plans, but through systems, routines, and daily interactions....
Episode 22: The Principal’s Algorithm: What Schools Can Learn From TikTok
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Your school already has an algorithm. It determines what gets attention, what gets repeated, and what quietly fades away. And whether you realize it o...
Episode 21: When the School Year Is Really Three Separate Years
11 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The school year isn’t one long stretch — it’s really three separate years, each with its own energy, challenges, and leadership dema...
Episode 20: Five Moves to Start Second Semester Strong
04 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The calendar might flip to January, but the second semester doesn’t reset itself. Culture drifts, systems loosen, and people come back carrying ...
Principal Pause: Soft Starts & Slow Mornings
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s something special about this in-between week—the one where no one is totally sure what day it is, pajamas count as real clothes, a...
Principal Pause: The Pause You've Earned
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the first week of Christmas break, and we’re doing what we always tell principals to do—rest when your school rests. But before...
Episode 19: What Would Happen If You Took a Friday Off?
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Principals wear busyness like a badge of honor. But here’s the real question: what would actually happen if you took a Friday off? Would everyth...
Episode 18: Tackling Teacher Resistance with Becca Silver
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re bringing you something a little different—our very first guest interview! We sat down with Becca Silver, founder and CEO ...
Episode 17: What January You Needs From December You
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The holidays in schools are a mix of joy, chaos, and exhaustion. Kids are hyped, staff are stretched, and the calendar is packed. In this episode, we&...
The Principal Pause: Thanksgiving Break
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re doing what we always tell principals to do—taking a break when schools take a break. In this short Thanksgiving episode, ...
Episode 16: Feedback That Sticks: 5 Reasons It Fails and How to Fix It
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all know feedback is supposed to make people better. But let’s be honest—it often just makes people defensive. And if your feedback isn...
Episode 15: Data: Checkbox or Compass
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Schools are drowning in data—test scores, benchmarks, walkthrough rubrics, behavior logs—and yet half the time, it feels like we’re ...
Episode 14: Engagement Isn’t Entertainment: Why Student Engagement Matters More Than Ever
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Students can be in their seats, quiet, and compliant—and still not be learning. That’s why engagement matters. In this episode, we’r...
Episode 13: Culture Isn’t Just for Staff—It’s for Students Too
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about school culture, most people immediately think about staff morale—whether teachers feel supported, if the lounge is positive, ...
Episode 12: Family Nights That Families Actually Show Up To
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Family nights can be one of the most powerful ways to connect parents, kids, and schools—but they can also be some of the most disappointing whe...
Episode 11: Sugar Highs, Spooky Vibes, and Surviving October in Schools
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The “honeymoon phase” is over, the candy is flowing, and Halloween somehow turns into a week-long holiday in kid time. No wonder late Octo...
Episode 10: Attendance Is a Systems Problem, Not Just a Kid Problem
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Attendance dips, and the first instinct is often to blame kids or families—or fire off another robo-call. But here’s the truth: attendance...
Episode 9: 5 Five-Minute Fixes Every Principal Should Steal
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some days you’ve got time for a deep dive into strategy. Other days? You just need a win before the first bell rings. In this episode, we’...
Episode 8: It's Only September.. Why Am I Already Burnt Out?
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You thought the summer recharge would carry you further—but here we are, barely a month into school, and the tank already feels empty. If you&rs...
Bonus: The Story Behind The Principal Exchange
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every week, we’re here with strategies and systems to make school leadership feel a little lighter. But today? We’re stepping out of the u...
Episode 7: Leading Instruction When You Don’t Have Time
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every principal starts the year determined to be in classrooms daily—but then the fires, parent emails, and coverage needs hit. Before you know ...
Episode 6: 7 Conversations Every Principal Dreads — and How to Survive Them
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every principal has those conversations you wish you could skip—the angry parent complaint, the teacher struggling instructionally, the staff me...
Episode 5: Surviving the Email Avalanche
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Does your inbox feel like it’s running your day? Principals get buried under hundreds of emails every week—most of them urgent-sounding bu...
Episode 4: Break the Rules (On Purpose) — Leading Beyond the Rulebook
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the rules you’ve been following aren’t actually serving your people anymore? In this episode, we dig into why the best leaders don...
Episode 3: Don’t Wing It—Win It: Your Shortcut to Confident Conversations
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever stared at your screen, knowing you need to respond…but the right words just aren’t coming? In this episode, we’re giving you r...
Episode 2: Setting the Culture Before it Sets Itself
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're diving into building and maintain a supportive and consistent school culture from the jump. In this episode, we discuss the importance of ...
Episode 1: Setting the Right Tone from Day One
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode of the Principal Exchange Podcast, where Sarah and Andra, seasoned educators and leadership coaches, guide you through ma...
Trailer
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being a principal is one of the most rewarding—and overwhelming—roles in education. That’s why we created The Principal Exchange and now, The Pr...